"Hove this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, existing in the form of God, counted not the b e i n g on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross." Philippians 2:5-8 (R.V.).
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W HAT we usually mean by “spirit” is something vague, evanescent, intangible, almost indefin able. We speak of “school spirit,” “team spirit,” of the “Christmas spirit." We have deep and delightful associations with that phrase: it evokes gladness, gen erosity, graciousness, and good will. Every normal indi vidual enjoys Christmas, from the little child whose sparkling eyes reflect the lights of the Christmas tree to old age, sharing the light and laughter of Yuletide from his comfortable seat by the fireside. What is the Scriptural standard for the Christmas spirit, showing us its real scope and meaning? I wonder if the admonition contained in Philippians 2:5 is not the answer: “Let this mjnd be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” What was this mind, or attitude, which characterized the Lord Jesus, and which should mark our lives in indelible fashion? The spirit of Christmas may be summarized in pne word, familiar in everyday conversation, but unfamiliar to us in living reality: humility. Bethlehem’s manger bore many marks of humility. The situation itself was a very lowly one. Granted that the DECEMBER, 1946
standards of living at that time were not nearly as high as those that now exist in the United States, and possibly much like those that prevail in primitive places in the world, nevertheless, it must be conceded that the manger was a most inferior location. The poorest of people had better shelter than that which was provided for domestic animals. Nevertheless, under circumstances so unpro- pitious and into a place so unpretentious, there came into this world the Prince of Glory. Mary and Joseph were themselves examples of human humility. To be sure, their ancestry was regal; but that Davidic lineage long since had been obscured. It may be difficult for us to understand how descendants of a royal line could find themselves in such modest circum stances as did Mary and Joseph in Nazareth, until we reflect upon the fact that in our own day there are members of nobility pursuing the most ordinary of occu pations, because in the course of the world wars they have lost their high places. There is no record that the line of David reassumed its place of leadership after the remnant returned from the Babylonian captivity, more than four hundred years before the birth of Christ. In those long generations, it is altogether possible that no one paid any attention to a claim of direct descent 5
“national spirit,” and the like; and, not the least of all,
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